LeBron James has clearance from the Miami Heat to attend Zydrunas Ilgauskas's jersey retirement ceremony Saturday night in Cleveland. James loves Big Z for being a mentor to him early in his career with the Cavaliers. The two also were teammates in Miami during James' first season with the Heat (yes, that would be the first post-Decision season).

LeBron James (AP Photo)

As it happens, the Heat are off Saturday before playing Sunday in Chicago, so James is free. He'll lead a team delegation to Cleveland.

“It’s looking like I’ll be able to make it,” James said Thursday, according to the Miami Herald. “I’m still not quite sure. I want to be there to support (Ilgauskas) on one unforgettable night.”

"We have the ultimate respect for Big Z and we view him as a Miami Heat guy even though he's as much of a Cleveland Cavaliers as Udonis Haslem is to us. For that one year, you could see why they view him as so special," Spoelstra said, according to ESPN.com's Brian WIndhorst.

So, to review: LeBron is going back to Cleveland, with Cavs owner/onetime sworn enemy Dan Gilbert reportedly wanting to bring the King back home, on a night that will bring back a lot of good memories for James and ...